Blog

Why Sheep Remain Silent In Times Of Elitist Democracy?

By Eda Cleary –

Eda Cleary

“Why do sheep remain silent?” is the title of Germany’s most important political bestseller, written by psychology professor Rainer Mausfeld (2018) and read by millions of readers (Warum schweigen die Lämmer?). There he analyses in simple and profound language the dismantling of traditional democracy in Western Europe at the hands of neoliberal elites calling themselves ‘centre’ and ‘moderate’. In his study he points out that this “center” has become the “most radical anti-democratic political force” of modern times by delivering a deadly blow against the right to free expression of majorities by installing governments for the benefit of the richest minority through popular vote.

His book reflects on the changes that led to this oligarchization and corruption of politics in democracy. Historically, Mausfeld places this shift in Europe at the beginning of the 1970s, when the population began to lose confidence in the traditional parties due to massive unemployment and the drop in economic growth. The tripartite political model (State-employee businessmen) ends, the big traditional parties begin to lose membership and the link between the party leaderships and their voters is weakened. As a consequence of this, these parties turn towards the State, agree to distribute the public resources that will guarantee their survival, and renounce to compete for ideas. In this way, “cartel parties” (a concept coined by Mair and Katz) emerge in the image and similarity of economic cartels that manipulate the market by setting prices between competitors behind the scenes to the detriment of consumers. With this, already during the 90’s, political defeats lose relevance, there is an ideological homogenization between conservatives, socialists and social democrats and strong monopolistic structures arise in the power holding, where workers have no place. In short, there is a “political revolt of the elites against the people” that can be summed up in a single idea: only the elite is capable of governing and deciding for the people, because the latter are incompetent.

The strategy to undermine free thought consisted of systematically eroding the natural resistance instinct of the human being against authoritarian submission and making him politically and electorally apathetic. The new neoliberal elite began to practice without scruple an unknown and public “disdain to the people” that is translated in its infantilization and intellectual disqualification made face to face: “you are nobody, the market is everything”, “you don’t understand anything, let the intelligent govern you”.

According to Mausfeld, the population has been indoctrinated around a central thought: the welfare of society can only be achieved if 1% of the richest are free to enrich themselves in their infinite “talent” of “generating wealth” and are not “hindered” by the ignorant masses.

To achieve such success, the elites defined “forbidden zones of thought” under penalty of condemning to media ostracism those who dared to touch “undesirable” subjects until there arose an authentic historical amnesia on the political struggles of the people in favor of the construction of a more just society. People forgot the reasons why it is worth fighting in politics and retreated to their private world. Research centers, NGOs, universities, many social leaders were co-opted and their intellectual capacity for reaction was effectively “blocked” through massive propaganda, but sold as news, as real facts. In this context, the street protests lost their strength, because the system simply did not respond to these demands and in case of obvious corporate abuses the judiciary ruled in favor of the “intelligent”.

The effectiveness of the “political revolt of the elites” was so great that they managed to convince the majority of the population that those who protested did so because they did not accept the goodness and wonders of the neoliberal paradise or simply because they were “losers”, “disposable” subjects. Even the physical repression of the opponents of the past was very expensive and was replaced by the psychological repression (softpower) led by the media against any attempt to construct political alternatives that could appear plausible to the victims of the economic, environmental and spiritual neoliberal depredation. They resorted to mockery, trivialization, disqualification and the denial and/or deformation of historical facts allowing the lie to operate as truth and in this way it was possible to decree that the only rational and modern left was the one that recognized the superiority of neoliberal ideas. All the others were pariahs and enemies of welfare.

As this policy provoked the rejection of certain sectors of society and environmental or social justice parties emerged, the monopoly system of power based on “cartel parties” was able to develop an “educational” tactic (Detterbeck) against the possible emergence of rival parties to co-opt them. They opened themselves to the possibility of negotiation to incorporate them into the distribution of fiscal resources, the cession of ministries, high-level posts and others according to the degree of willingness to support the neoliberal political and economic strategy in all the guilds and institutions of the political system.The “cartel parties” naturally began to govern in conjunction with business and financial associations and grassroots social organizations or rebel unions were expelled from the formal public sphere of decisions.

The spirit of this “new way of governing” is clearly understood when former social democratic German chancellor Gerhard Schröder declared at the end of the 1990s: “There is no left or right-wing political economy, but only a good or bad political economy”.

But so much wonder could not last for so long. Europe suffered the ravages of the global financial crises and the “inefficiency” and “low technical quality” in the political and economic decisions of the “cartels” in favor of the rich became evident because it was causing a dangerous social erosion of the majorities. The population was burdened with the catastrophic effects of elite democracy and social cutbacks as the rich became richer and richer.The “thematic blockade” in the public debate and the “forbidden political zones” began to crack down, therefore popular indignation had practically no parliamentary representation. In other words, the population was “outside the system” and condemned to start from zero.

In this chess of impotence, the indignant population grew, in such a way that, among other factors, neo-Nazi, fascist, xenophobic and nationalist movements once again burst into Europe. The “yellow jackets” in France wanted to change the “shepherd dog” as the only strategy of change, without understanding that Macron’s departure did not even manage to scratch the “cartelization” of elitist democracy. These real social upheavals only indicate that the neoliberal ideal of the silent sheep guided by its shepherd in a framework of dismantling democracy is reaching dangerous and uncertain limits.

Professor Mausfeld states in his book that the reconquest of the legitimacy of social demands, the elimination of “party cartels” and the unrestricted restoration of freedom of expression are essential for a democratic recovery.And this goal can only be achieved by the sheep that must once again act as the true “sovereign” of democracy that is permanently opposed to the lying and totalitarian “cartels”.

Latest comments

Madam please send a copy to one Dayan.J who is a diplomat but calls himself Comrade He says to get rid of Nazis you need Neo-Nazis. Is that true madam?????? He questions Lankans who they trust when their live is in danger a criminal General or the rights groups ????? F – – – – N Idiot. Even a school going student knows the difference between the two.

Mano/May 17, 2019

0

0

“These real social upheavals only indicate that the neoliberal ideal of the silent sheep guided by its shepherd in a framework of dismantling democracy is reaching dangerous and uncertain limits.” These lines in the penultimate para of the article is a glaring statement of fact of life in Sri Lanka.

How true to life in this ‘Island Pearl ‘turned ‘Island Teardrop ‘, our country?

ramona therese fernando/May 17, 2019

0

0

The article is the best I have read on realism.
–
It all boils down to White people never knowing how to manage their monetary systems without hyperbolic individualistic aspiration with the help of their minorities who will mince the cash for them by whatever means.
–
And it is the story of our stupider set of darker races who following them blindly. These darker races cannot realize the simple and middle path that that they originally had, and what their compatriot Budddhist countries implicitly know, and are comfortabe with implementing – the Socialist Outlook.
–
No, in rennaisance Europe, the Italians actually actually produced works of original creativity that began the capitalistic outlook over the socialistic guilds of the rest of Europe. Are are Lankan producing anything to warrant the capitalistic outlook (no need to talk about pre-history ledgends)? Indeed, in the annals of history, first came the consolidation of brains and money of the socialistic guilds BEFORE any creativity-burst. Then came the arm twistings to maintain the new set of money that emerged.
–
To keep up with the mad mad West, Lankans (with politicians to represent) will keep borrowing from Western institutions like the World Bank, so as to keep on par. Now we all know how the West and their World bank got their money : Colonial subjugation where the modern monetary value initially got established, before carrying on with all kinds of banking schemes and stock market enterprise et al to retain the value……indeed all these consumer products upon products, and in land fills and environment degradation,are all about maintaining this money.
–
But, Mother Lanka has, in recent years, also found another simpler avenue for Western goodies, sans actually creating jobs in the motherland. Shariah banking ! And this Islamic money is of course at the purview of the Muslim elite such that the country is held hostage by it.
And we all now know the price for such lazy greed.

ramona therese fernando/May 17, 2019

0

0

Islamic money coming so easily to our land would have been a wonderful thing indeed. But there is ALWAYS a price to pay for money that grows on trees.
–
Lankans of all origins ( except the White ones with their guns), worked equally hard in their ocçupations in centuries gone by – the farmer, the fisherman, the Islamic tradesman. But now only the trader (of all races) and his associates are doing well. And that is through the easy oil-money of Islamic funds.
–
In the Western money case, it needs to come up with all kinds of creative products to keep its money at optimum level. But for the Islamic money, the oil-wealth comes easily to them, out from the innovation of the Western creative design. So with that knowledge, and with fear of the Shariah banking system, was it the West that instigated the carnage in the motherland; the Jihadists only too willing to perform? Or most probably, the Jihadists are an entity unto themselves.
–
One can only advice the Motherland to abbrogate all easily gotten Islamic money. Dismantle all stucture and reference of it! Lankan of all races to abide by the country worth. No more of using of Islamic banking to go the easy way of building up commercial enterprise; all damaged properties to use Lankan money for rebuilding; all hitherto Islamic money to remain with static with non-repayment for what’s already in place. No more taken for further investuring. Tough new leader, tough laws are needed for the hard work ahead.

K.Pillai/May 17, 2019

0

0

The most enduring description of ‘Democracy’, acknowledged to Abraham Lincoln, is “Government of the people, by the people, for the people”.
‘Democracy’ was the buzz in late 19th century. Since then countries have adapted, garbled versions of, ‘Indigenous Democracy’.
Unfortunately some have evolved into “Government of the Elites, by the Elites, for the simple laypersons”.
Some have introduced “Some are more equal than others”.
Some have flavoured with ‘Proportional Representation’ which led us to horse trading.
.
Eda Cleary’s {“Why Sheep Remain Silent In Times Of Elitist Democracy?”} is the best ever to appear in CT.
Wish our leaders will read it.
By the way Eda, we have taken an extra step viz “Some wolves in sheep clothing have learned to be silent and run with the sheep”.

Comments should not exceed 300 words. Embedding external links and writing in capital letters are discouraged. Commenting is automatically shut off on articles after 10 days and approval may take up to 24 hours. Please read our Comments Policy for further details.
Your email address will not be published.